'I have a lot of hope' for crypto, says world's biggest podcaster Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan, American comedian, UFC commentator and host of the world’s most popular podcast, “has a lot of hope” for cryptocurrencies.

In the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan discussed the future of the nascent, disruptive crypto industry with Adam Curry, a fellow podcaster and somewhat polarising media personality in the United States.

Rogan indicated that cryptocurrencies could become a powerful financial tool and force for positive change, but also left open the possibility that the industry could “fall apart completely”.

Joe Rogan and Adam Curry talk crypto and NFTs pic.twitter.com/0l74FwCsMp

— Blazzord NFT⚡🇺🇦 (@BlazzordNFT) January 11, 2022

It’s not the first time Rogan has discussed crypto, or more specifically Bitcoin, on his podcast. In fact, he promoted his mate Jack Dorsey’s Bitcoin-as-payment-enabling Cash App last year and also reportedly accepted US$100,000 worth of Bitcoin in November as part-payment in a separate exclusive deal.

But his latest podcast appears to be the most in-depth he’s gone into the subject so far, which is significant for the crypto industry as Rogan’s podcast is the most popular on Spotify, with an estimated 11 million listeners.

“I have a lot of hope for cryptocurrencies, I really do,” said the popular podcaster. “I don’t know much about them, but Bitcoin and Ethereum seem to be the ones people talk the most.”

Envisioning only two possible scenarios for the future of crypto, he stated:

“It’s either going to fall apart completely, or we’re going to use this as an opportunity to right the ship and come up with a better way to live our lives. It’s going to be one or the other.”

Curry, meanwhile pointed to a “whole slew of young people opting out” of the traditional financial system and building “parallel systems and networks”, adding that he’s into Bitcoin because he believes his money is safer there.

“The money system is broken,” explained Curry. “It causes inflation; it causes misery; it causes wars because it is linked to oil.”

On NFTs and the metaverse

Rogan also touched on where he see NFTs (non-fungible tokens) heading, and their role within what he envisions being a “Silicon Valley-controlled” metaverse.

He said he thinks plenty of companies might look to launch their own digital collectibles as another means of obtaining their products.

“Apple could easily do that,” said Rogan. “It’s almost like another version of stocks or something.”

Curry, however, wasn’t so sure, instead seeing a crypto future revolving around CBDCs (central bank digital currencies):

“That’s not the plan…” he countered. “You will have crypto. You will have a digital wallet. It will be directly from the Federal Reserve to you. And there will be little retail banking – that just won’t happen anymore.”